News / TV

A&E orders reality series following 11-year-old comedian Saffron Herndon

Saffron Herndon signed up for her school’s orchestra today.

That would’ve been the biggest news for most any 11-year-old. But we also learned today that A&E will broadcast a 10-episode reality series following her exploits away from school as Saffy follows her dreams of a career in stand-up comedy. She’s not the tween comedian to make the big time. Earlier this summer, Lori Mae Hernandez turned 13 while competing in primetime into the semifinals of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. AGT this summer also featured a 6-year-old would-be comedian!

Ellen DeGeneres is executive producing Little Funny, which will premiere on A&E in 2017.

“It’s crazy that Saffy is telling such hilarious jokes at 11 years old,” said DeGeneres. “When I was 11, I was telling knock-knock jokes. To be honest, I’m still telling knock-knock jokes.”

Saffy already has been performing on stages for the past three years, from her native Dallas to the Out of Bounds Festival in Austin and Gilda’s Laughfest in Michigan, to the Today show last October.

“I hope to follow in the footsteps of my comedy heroes: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Phyllis Diller, and Aubrey Plaza,” Saffy says on her website.

DeGeneres, Chris Rock, George Lopez, Wanda Sykes, Iliza Shlesinger and Tom Papa will all appear on screen as coaches and mentors to Saffy during Little Funny.

Here’s another look at her back when Saffy was 10, where she says she was following in her father’s footsteps. Steve Herndon allowed Saffy to join him for an open mic where the comedy was clean enough for a kid.

And here’s her dad’s stand-up from Hyenas last year:

Here she is today after signing up for orchestra:

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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